Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of lawn and garden accessories, and more particularly to a discharge capture system for chipper-shredders.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,824,034; 5,102,056; 5,358,189; 5,381,970; 5,385,308; 5,390,856; 5,413,287; 5,474,241; 5,707,017; and 5,860,606 the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse chipper-shredder devices.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical system for recovering the chips and debris for use on gardens and flower beds.
Chips and debris discharged from chipper-shredders are presently directed into a pile to be raked up or gathered into bags attached over the discharge. These systems are both very inconvenient and inefficient.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved chipper-shredder discharge capture system and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides a capture system to receive, store and transport chips and debris discharged from the discharge tube of a chipper-shredder. The capture system includes a rigid housing forming an enclosure. The entry end wall of the enclosure has an opening disposed to receive the discharge tube of the chipper-shredder. An interior baffle extends from the opposite end wall at an angle of about 10xc2x0 to 15xc2x0 below horizontal. The baffle has an end spaced vertically above and horizontally in from the opening in the entry end wall to form a passageway to the top wall of the housing. The top wall has a solid section directly above the passageway and an open mesh section directly above the baffle. The airstream with entrained chips and debris is propelled from the discharge tube of the chipper-shredder and impacts the opposite end wall and continues up to the underside of the baffle. It is then directed back to the entry end wall upwardly to the top wall, over the upper side of the baffle, and out the open mesh section of the top wall. With each change of direction of the airstream chips and debris drop to the bottom of the housing.